Episcopalians, Polish National Catholics Issue Statement
Episcopal News Service. June 8, 1976 [76187]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Ordination of women to the Episcopal Church priesthood and episcopate would not jeopardize the 30-year-old practice of intercommunion between that Church and the Polish National Catholic Church.
Episcopal women priests would, however, be barred from sanctuaries of the Polish Church and from participating in any sacraments with Polish Church priests or members, according to a statement of the Intercommunion Commission of the two Churches.
The statement grew out of the second of two meetings of members of the churches called to discuss the effect upon the intercommunion practice if the Episcopal Church's General Convention authorizes the change in ordination policy in September. The first meeting involved both the Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and the Most Rev. Thaddeus F. Zielinski, Prime Bishop of the Polish Church, and was held in Scranton, Penn., in January.
From that meeting, a number of prelates and pastors of both churches gathered in Wilkes-Barre in April and accepted the following statement which had been drawn by the Polish Church authorities:
"Since each Communion does not require acceptance of all doctrinal opinion or liturgical practice of the other Communion, should a Church of the the Anglican Communion by its processes of legislation authorize the ordination of women to the diaconate, priesthood or episcopate and thereby hold a doctrinal opinion different from that of the Polish National Catholic Church, the Polish National Catholics would continue to support the objectives of the Agreement of Intercommunion, with the condition that ordained women would not be permitted in sanctuaries of the Polish National Catholic Church, nor to function in any sacramental acts involving its members or priests."
The representatives from the two churches said that "in spite of this serious difference, the representatives of both Churches agreed that Intercommunion continues." A meeting in June was set to update the guidelines which had originally been developed in 1947.
The representatives at the consultation agreed to "continue to work together on the ancient principles affirmed in that 1947 meeting: 'In essential matters, Unity. In non-essential matters, Freedom. In all things -- Love.'"